Nature Treasure Hunt at Seven Bends State Park

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Nature Treasure Hunt

Early in September Beverly saw an invitation to participate in a photographic scavenger hunt called Nature Treasure Hunt: Photographing and Finding the Gems of Seven Bends! It was sponsored by an organization called Friends of Seven Bends State Park. Seven Bends is the newest state park in Virginia, and as we had previously discussed visiting this new park to learn more about it, this seemed to be a good opportunity, so we signed up for the program.

Sharon Fisher, a local photographer, led the program and provided a scavenger hunt list to guide the participants. She showed us some photos she had taken in the previous days and provided a link to a Google Photos album where we could post our photos. After an introduction to the park and photography using smart phones (for most of the participants), individuals and small teams split-up to find and photograph the items on the list. We wandered along some of the trails for about an hour but couldn’t complete that area of the park because of the heat – unfortunately it was the hottest day in mid-to-late September. These are the items on the list:

  1. Something representing Autumn
  2. Something with petals
  3. Something that begins with the letter “T”
  4. Something that shows textures or patterns
  5. Something you or other animals can eat
  6. Something that pollinates
  7. Something about birds
  8. Something old
  9. Something in the sky
  10. Something that makes you happy

Extra: Something that is an amphibian

The photos I selected for the Google Photos album for the scavenger hunt are shown in the Additional Images section below. The category(ies) of each image is included in the image’s description.

Geography and Park Background

We live in the Shenandoah Valley in western Virginia. The Shenandoah Valley lies between the Appalachian Mountains to the west and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east. Massanutten Mountain bisects the northern part of the valley. The Shenandoah River, which flows southwest to northeast, is a tributary of the Potomac River. It consists of two branches known as the North Fork (which lies to the west of Massanutten Mountain) and the South Fork (which lies to the east of Massanutten Mountain). Both the North Fork and the South Fork meander back and forth across their portions of the valley.

Seven Bends is the newest state park in Virginia. It consists of 1066 acres of land, both donated and purchased, and opened in late-2019. It is located adjacent to the town of Woodstock along the “Seven Bends” of the north fork of the Shenandoah River, where the bends are unusually sharp and tightly packed: in 48 miles of river flow, the river travels only 16 miles as the crow flies. For visualization, the Additional Images gallery below includes both a topographical map and a Google Earth view of the Seven Bends area.

Additional Images

Additional Information

Virginia State Parks: Seven Bends

Wikipedia: Shenandoah Valley

Wikipedia: Shenandoah River

Wikipedia: Massanutten Mountain

Wikipedia: Woodstock, VA

Google Photos: Seven Bends Nature Hunt

All About Birds: Red Shouldered Hawk

Sharon Fisher’s website

Technical Data

Seven Bends Area from Massanutten Mountain

  • Date: 4/4/2015
  • Time: 4:58 PM
  • Camera: iPhone 5s
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 4.15 mm, f/2.2
    • ISO: 32
    • Shutter: 1/2000 sec
  • Uncropped image is 3264 x 2448 px
  • GPS: 38°52’13.88″ N, 78°26’58.09″ W

Pokeweed Berries

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 1:55 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 100 mm, f/5.6
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/800 sec
  • Cropped image is 2884 x 4326 px
  • GPS: 38°52’12.6″ N, 78°29’33.41″ W

Fowler’s Toad

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 2:07 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 143 mm, f/5.6
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/800 sec
  • Cropped image is 4312 x 2875 px
  • GPS: 38°52’9.2″ N, 78°29’33.7″ W

Feather

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 1:59 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 100 mm, f/5.6
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/800 sec
  • Cropped image is 3494 x 2329 px
  • GPS: 38°52’14.48″ N, 78°29’30.99″ W

Soybeans

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 1:43 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 55 mm, f/4
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/200 sec
  • Cropped image is 2943 x 4392 px
  • GPS: 38°52’9.4″ N, 78°29’31.5″ W

Moth on Wingstem

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 2:08 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 211 mm, f/5.6
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/800 sec
  • Cropped image is 3607 x 2405 px
  • GPS: 38°52’11.97″ N, 78°29’24.93″ W

Geese in the North Fork River

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 2:12 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 55 mm, f/11
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/80 sec
  • Cropped image is 4650 x 3102 px
  • GPS: 38°52’9.22″ N, 78°29’20.34″ W

Clouds over Seven Bends 1

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 1:55 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 55 mm, f/11
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/500 sec
  • Cropped image is 4000 x 6000 px
  • GPS: 38°52’12.6″ N, 78°29’33.41″ W

Seven Bends LOVE Sign

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 2:47 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 55 mm, f/5.6
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/500 sec
  • Cropped image is 5845 x 3923 px
  • GPS: 38°52’10.48″ N, 78°29’30.15″ W

Eastern Redbud Tree Leaves

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 2:02 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 89 mm, f/5.6
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/640 sec
  • Cropped image is 4421 x 2947 px
  • GPS: 38°52’14.48″ N, 78°29’30.99″ W

Tickseed Sunflower

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 1:41 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 17-55 mm f/2.8 IS USM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 51 mm, f/4
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/1000 sec
  • Uncropped image is 6000 x 4000 px
  • GPS: 38°52’9.2″ N, 78°29’33.7″ W

Fungus on Fence Board

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 1:51 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 100 mm, f/11
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/400 sec
  • Cropped image is 5617 x 3745 px
  • GPS: 38°52’10.5″ N, 78°29’32.7″ W

Fungii on Tree Branches

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 2:22 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 100 mm, f/5.6
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/80 sec
  • Cropped image is 5172 x 3448 px
  • GPS: 38°52’7.12″ N, 78°29’16.74″ W

Bee on Wingstem 1

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 1:53 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 160 mm, f/11
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/200 sec
  • Cropped image is 4359 x 2906 px
  • GPS: 38°52’10.16″ N, 78°29’32.45″ W

Bee on Wingstem 2

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 2:13 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 55 mm, f/5.6
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/200 sec
  • Cropped image is 4280 x 2830 px
  • GPS: 38°52’9.22″ N, 78°29’20.34″ W

Red-shouldered Hawk

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 2:39 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 250 mm, f/5.6
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/400 sec
  • Cropped image is 6000 x 4000 px
  • GPS: 38°52’10.48″ N, 78°29’30.15″ W

Clouds over Seven Bends 2

  • Date: 9/18/2021
  • Time: 2:10 PM
  • Camera: Canon EOS 77D
  • Lens: Canon EF-S 55-250 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
  • Settings:
    • Lens: 55 mm, f/11
    • ISO: 200
    • Shutter: 1/1000 sec
  • Cropped image is 5913 x 3894 px
  • GPS: 38°52’9.22″ N, 78°29’20.34″ W

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